


Caught Up In A Lie

by taintedidealist



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-02
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-21 16:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1556756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taintedidealist/pseuds/taintedidealist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charming catches Emma in a lie she was not aware she was telling to herself. (One-Shot)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caught Up In A Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [k8eistrouble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/k8eistrouble/gifts).



> Spoilers: Set at the boathouse scenes of 3x19 “A Curious Thing” we veer off, as I do.

Emma’s eyes scan back to Henry and Regina, smiles split so wide over their mouths she can almost feel how much their cheeks ache. She can feel it even though she is fifty feet away with a pirate who is squirming more than usual. Emma sucks in a breath as Robin walks into the boathouse, brushing at his hair, tugging down on his gloves with a lopsided grin.

It is bothersome.

Henry is almost vibrating with excitement. His arms fly around, hitting his scarf to make him look like half an octopus. The floorboards creak with in a syncopated rhythm; reminding her for an instant that Regina is still missing her heart.

Robin took it. He lost it.

Emma rolls her shoulders, they both had thieves in their lives now who didn’t protect their hearts.

Eyes watch her, study her, until Emma pulls her gaze back to Hook. He is obviously waiting for a scolding, and his lip juts out in anticipation, the perpetual pout of ‘Forgive me Swan’.

He is bothersome.

Her attention is drawn back to the trio of smiles, dropped glances, and shy stances before Robin’s emboldened pat on Regina’s back.

Emma snorts and rolls her eyes at the stilted gesture before his arm wraps around Regina’s shoulders and pulls her closer to him. Her eyes narrow in thought, it fits too well together, like it has been coached to happen.

And yet Hook continues to stare at her.

She turns toward him questions Hook halfheartedly trying to dig out truths he wraps in short haikus of angst. Killian always seems to trail his sentences off making them questions. Emma finds she never has the answer he is trolling for; she is not what he has concocted her to be, not a mermaid waiting to be caught.

“Okay,” she drolls out.

Hook’s eyebrow shoots up in surprise, “No more questions?”

He’s so hopeful.

Emma tugs her cap out of her back pocket and forces it on roughly. She shrugs, “Nope, I think we’re done here.”

“We’re done?” he questions lightly.

She looks him directly in the eye to answer all of his unspoken meanings at once, “We are done Killian.”

His feet scuffle on the boards, moving around remains of gunpowder, “Aye, we are.”

A hand softly lands on the small of her back as Hook leaves the boat house and Emma turns to see Charming smile, cheeks bright pink from the cold chill in the air.   
  
“Regina?” he asks kindly.   
  
“She went off with Robin, probably back to Granny’s or to the forest to rummage for kindling.” Emma answers briskly.

His head tilts and Charming hums lightly to himself in thought.

“What?” Emma asks, his arm wrapping tightly around her waist.

“Not a fan of fires or of Robin?”   
  
She pushes a puff of air out, and it looks like a bit like her white magic for a moment. “I didn’t mean that, Robin’s…” she moves a gloved hand around reaching for a descriptor, “Robin.”

It seems she failed and Charming smile turns into a grin.   
  
“You really do not like him,” he pauses letting it sink in before he chuckles, “at all.”

“He’s fine, he’s helping against Zelena, and Regina likes him,” Emma quickly adds.

Charming laughs openly, “Oh, no you hate him.”

“I do not have enough time between wicked witches, flying monkeys, babies, and curses to give a damn about Robin Hood!” Emma’s breath quickened, her shoulders moving up and down with emotion.

“Oh, hey now,” his voice is soft and kind. Charming turns Emma toward him slowly, his hands on her shoulders and feeling her reluctance through their jerky movement. He tilts his head, “It’s okay to feel jealous, Emma. You just need to admit it before it takes over.”

Emma laughs, it blurts out of her, “Oh, yeah, right David I’m jealous because Robin Hood is taking my kid on a walk through the woods.”

His eyebrows push together in thought, not understanding the lie she just told.

“Emma,” he says carefully, “we both know it’s not Henry that is causing this--”

He trails off, letting her decide if she wants to offer more.

“This what?” she asks, “annoyance?”

Her face dips down studying her boots as her hand rests on the handle of her gun, “I feel--” she stops, looks back at him and rolls her eyes, “I just feel, okay?”

He smiles, his eyes always so clear and honest, “It’s okay.”

Tears start to well in her eyes and Emma’s chin starts to waver. She swallows and looks at her father, seeing his acceptance.

“Why did she give him her heart?” Emma asks softly, scared to hear it on the air.

Charming wraps her up in a tight hug, he drops a kiss on the crown of her head, “Emma, he doesn’t have it.”

He pulls back and places his hand under her chin, bring her eyes up to his, “We both know you stole it a long time ago.”   
  
“How?” Emma asks astonished.

He nods seriously, “I recognized how she looks at you and how you look at her. It’s love Emma.”

Emma takes in his easy smile and closes her eyes as he wipes at the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

“What do I do?” she asks softly. Emma wipes at her nose with the back of her hand, trying to center herself, “What do I do Dad?”

His grin widens as he rubs her arms up and down quickly, “I believe this is the part where you fight for her, find her heart Emma, and then give it back to her.”   
  
Emma nods and looks to the door of the boathouse, “I don’t hate him.”

“That’s what makes it harder, but you have to try Emma.” Charming rubs a light circle on her back, “After all she deserves to have a choice and you owe it to her to let her know she has another one.”

“I don’t deserve her.” Emma’s voice is small.

“None of us deserve anything, but we fight for it, we strive to be better for it, and sometimes we find one foolish enough to give us the gift.” He taps lightly on her back pushing her toward the door.

“Fight for her.”

Emma turns back to him, “She really doesn’t know does she?”

Charming squints, so like Emma, “She doesn’t know what Emma?”

She smiles, “I’m foolish.”

“I don’t know, she does say you’re an idiot all the time.” Charming chuckles, his hand on the hilt of his sword, “but it’s time you told her.”

Emma nods, “Thank you.”

She pushes through the door and the sunlight breaks into the boat house, illuminating around her as she steps onto the docks. There is not a trace of where they went, but luckily Emma is an exceptionally good finder.


End file.
